Learning Technology
Who We Work With
The Commissioner of Education, Chancellor, Board of Regents, and New York State Education Department (NYSED) Senior Leadership
The NYCC Learning Technology Team works at the request of the Commissioner of Education, Chancellor, Board of Regents, and with NYSED Senior Leadership on a number of specific activities. Our current work began in conjunction with a task force representing cross-department staff and other education stakeholders, and evolved in the fall of 2009 into working with a NYSED Learning Technology Work Group appointed at the request of the Commissioner. The NYSED Learning Technology Work Group meets regularly face-to-face and also collaborates using an Internet-based communication portal developed and supported by the New York Comprehensive Center.
Ongoing work of the NYCC Learning Technology Team includes:
1. Development and Implementation of a Board of Regents Statewide Learning Technology Plan
In 2009, NYSED convened a cross-departmental task force to explore the potential leadership roles NYSED could play related to technology policy, decision-making, and support resources. The NYCC Learning Technology Team worked with NYSED leadership to conduct the following activities:
- Facilitating meetings of cross-departmental committees
- Developing a preliminary inventory of educational technology initiatives underway across New York State
- Conducting a preliminary assessment of knowledge and attitudes towards educational technology within NYSED
- Developing a draft Framework for Educational Technology to uniformly inform decisions across all departments
These activities increased NYSED's capacity to address issues of educational technology by building shared knowledge of current educational technology initiatives within the state and a shared understanding of the needs and challenges of NYSED as a whole. The NYSED task force developed a framework that underpins the ongoing implementation of the Statewide Learning Technology Plan.
The NYCC Learning Technology Team provides ongoing informational research support on technology in teaching and learning to the Commissioner of Education, Chancellor, Board of Regents (BOR) and NYSED Senior Leadership. These documents inform technology planning and policy decisions in the state as the learning technology plan is enhanced and implemented. Various research support documents have informed the development of BOR action items. Requested informational papers have included:
- Distance Learning
Research review; development of common definitions; formulation of rationale for a distance learning policy in New York State - Virtual Schools
Development of common definitions; suggested policy considerations; review of current practices in other states; recommendations for quality assurance
This information became the basis for a November 2009 Board of Regents action item that was approved as a BOR initiative - Credit Recovery (Making Up Credit)
Potential use of online technologies for making up credit; suggested policy considerations - Open Source
Development of common definitions; suggested policy considerations; review of information about eTextbooks and digital text - Technology to Support and Enhance the Education of Incarcerated Youth
Examples of technology-supported instruction of incarcerated youth (regulations, policies, etc.) - Social Networking in Teaching and Learning
Analysis of current usage and policy implications - Technologically Rich Learning Milieus
Illustrative tools and examples of 21st Century technologically rich and robust learning spaces - Technological Literacy
Briefing of common definitions and technology literacy standards and assessments from recognized national organizations and selected states
2. New York State Learning Standards Review Initiative
NYSED has undertaken the review and revision of the state learning content standards. To help NYSED build its knowledge base regarding technology and learning standards, the NYCC Learning Technology Team conducted a review of state-level technology learning content standards with a focus on those states that have stand-alone technology learning standards for students, teachers, and administrators, and those that have integrated technology into the content learning standards. In addition, the Learning Technology Team conducted an in-depth review of seven states' technology learning standards against a set of key criteria, such as whether they referenced the National Educational Technology Standards, whether they were research-based, and whether they included supporting resources, such as lesson plans.
Visit the New York State Learning Standards Review website to learn more.
3. New York State Internet Safety Initiative
In 2009, NYSED conducted a review of its web-based Internet safety resources in order to:
- Ensure that they are in compliance with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and NYS Internet safety legislation
- Plan for an upgrade of related resources available on the NYSED website
- Explore and identify resources the state can put into place to support their LEAs with CIPA compliance
The Learning Technology Team supported this work with three research efforts:
- A review of Internet safety resources on the websites of other state education departments and relevant organizations, examining each for ease of use, quality, and the range of stakeholders supported
- An inventory of key Internet safety resources that could either serve as a model for potential NYSED-developed resources or be linked to directly from the NYSED website to support state and district compliance with Internet safety legislation and policy
- A document providing an overview and findings related to current Internet safety policy and examples of Acceptable Use Polices (AUPs) and best practices